Importance of Emotional Intelligence

Your emotional competence will play a crucial role when it comes to your success as an employee. However, for many years, many people thought otherwise. For most people, including senior executives, it was thought that those with a higher IQ were the most important aspect of a company’s success.

Decades of research has now confirmed what many people have suspected all along: it is EQ, not IQ, that determines how well someone will perform on the job. While this does not mean that technical skills and general intelligence should be ignored, some studies have indicated that emotional intelligence is twice as important. When it comes to leadership, EI is incredibly important, making the difference between effective and mediocre leadership.

To understand this, stop for a moment and think of some of the traits that have historically been associated with high quality leadership. Some of the words used to describe these traits include listening, inspiring, guiding, vision, and motivation.

None of these words are connected to technical skills or general intelligence. Instead, they are better associated with emotional intelligence. Those who have these traits in abundance are referred to as being emotionally competent. If you want to become a better employee, the first thing you will need to do is assess yourself to find out if you are deficient in any of these areas, because if you are, this means you can improve by enhancing EI.

Of course, this raises the question of exactly how you are supposed to increase your emotional intelligence. There are a number courses and classes which you can take which will enhance your abilities. Unlike your IQ, which some researchers see as being set in stone (there are some that disagree on this as well), EI is something that can be increased with practice and training.

Tests have been developed which can assess your current EI, and once you are able to fully understand the areas in which you are deficient, you can begin working hard to increase your EI, which will further translate into superior job performance. In turn, this superior job performance will leader to greater payment and fulfillment overall.

Most skilled employees are intelligent, but not emotionally intelligent. Many individuals who were extraordinarily intelligent when it came analytical skills and general intelligence, were deficient in emotional intelligence. While they were good with numbers and logic, they were bad when it came to being sociable, and they did not have a lot of friends.

Most of us have heard of the stereotypical nerd who is unable to relate to most people, and who spends most of his time huddled up working with computers, machines, or some other non-organic objects. These individuals have almost become a cliche.

This is the best example of someone who is extremely intelligent from IQ perspective, but who is totally deficient when it comes to emotional intelligence. To truly succeed in this world, it pays to have both. Since you have to deal with people on a regular basis, it pays to be in tune to the behaviors of others.

It also pays to be aware of their emotions as well as your own. Another type of person who is lacking in emotional intelligence is the individual who always steps on everyone’s toes without realizing it. They come off as being bullies, and few people like them. These people rarely know when "no" means "no," and they tend to try to force others to adhere to their standards.

EI and Job Performance

People who are unbearable, or who cannot relate to others because of their above average intelligence, may be successful in life, but it is only in one area, and the other areas of their life are total failures.

They may not have many associates, and it is very likely that they are unable to progress in their jobs due to these traits. These people could benefit from EI training, as they would be better able to understand both their feelings and those of others, and this would give them a greater edge in the workplace.